text:
WUKAN, China -- One of China's most celebrated experiments in grass-roots democracy showed signs of faltering on Friday, as frustrations with elected officials in the southern fishing village of Wukan triggered a small and angry protest.
On the first anniversary of an uprising that gave birth to the experiment, more than 100 villagers rallied outside Wukan's Communist Party offices to express anger at what they saw as slow progress by the village's democratically elected governing committee to resolve local land disputes.
"We still haven't got our land back," shouted Liu Hancai, a retired 62-year-old party member, one of many villagers fighting to win back land that was seized by Wukan's previous administration and illegally sold for development.
PhotoBlog: Chinese villagers defy government in standoff over land rights
The small crowd, many on motorbikes, was kept under tight surveillance by plain-clothed officials fearful of any broader unrest breaking out. Police cars were patrolling the streets.
"There would be more people here, but many people are afraid of trouble and won't come out," Liu told Reuters.
A year ago, Wukan became a beacon of rights activism after the land seizures sparked unrest and led to the sacking of local party officials. That in turn led to village-wide elections for a more representative committee to help resolve the rows.
Growing pains?
Friday's demonstration was far less heated than the protests that earned Wukan headlines around the world last year. But the small rally reveals how early optimism has soured for some.
Nevertheless, Wukan's elderly village chief and former protest leader, Lin Zuluan, who was voted into office on a landslide, stressed these grievances were natural teething problems with any fledgling democracy.
He stressed his administration had made concrete strides including wresting back 625 acres and implementing clean, legal and open administrative practices including full disclosure of village finances and open tenders for projects.
"At this starting point for Wukan there will definitely exist some problems but it doesn't mean there hasn't been democracy or that we have made major mistakes," he said.
In March, expectations were high in this village, built near a sheltered harbor fringed by mountains, after Lin and his fellow elected leaders pledged to swiftly resolve the land issue.
Villagers defiant as government creates new narrative
Lin said complex land contracts and bureaucratic red-tape were hindering their work, with nearly 700 disputed hectares still unaccounted for.
Some critics say the village committee, which includes several young leaders of last year's protests, lacked administrative experience, failed to engage the public and allowed itself to be out-maneuvered by higher party authorities.
Shady deals
"They were people's heroes," said Chen Jinchao, a villager still trying to get back about 1.6 acres of farmland.
"But now we see them differently. We don't have any new hope. What's the point of electing them if they can't solve the (land) problem?" he added.
Some say recent discord has been partly sown by allies of the former disgraced village leader, Xue Chang, while higher officials in the Shanwei county seat of government remain tangled in shady deals involving hundreds of acres of Wukan land in a new economic development zone.
"If Shanwei's corrupt officials aren't cleaned out completely, it is very difficult for us to move forward," said Zhang Jiancheng, one of the young activists elected onto the village committee.
"Of every 100 things, we may do 50 of them. But people only complain about the 50 things we don't do ... The village committee has been trying to get the land back piece by piece. It's been a very painful process but we must follow legal procedures."
Journalist beatings erase Wukan optimism
With China about to choose new leaders, any further unrest at Wukan could impact Guangdong province's high-flying leader, Wang Yang, hailed as a reformer by some for defusing the Wukan standoff by acceding to key village demands and averting a potentially bloody crackdown.
Read more news from China on NBC's Behind The Wall
Some villagers have spoken of marching again and putting real pressure on county and provincial authorities.
"In the end, if they really force us to the very limits, it will be like a volcano exploding," said a senior villager who asked not to be named. "You can't control it."
More world stories from NBC News:
- Australia deputy PM criticizes 'crazies' in GOP
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- US spends $70,000 on Pakistan ad denouncing anti-Muslim film
- White House: Libya consulate siege that killed four was 'terrorist attack'
- Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi calls for release of Russian punk band Pussy Riot
- Analysis: 'Manufactured outrage' behind Middle East protests
- Syria activist: Hundreds feared dead as Assad escalates airstrikes
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text:
Home >
News & Policies >
March 2005
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 31, 2005
Memorandum for the Secretary of State
SUBJECT: Assignment of Function to Submit a Report Relating to Millennium Challenge Corporation Activities
Consistent with section 301 of title 3, United States Code, the function of the President under section 613 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004 (Division D of Public Law 108 199) is assigned to the Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State shall perform such function in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to withhold information the disclosure of which could impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional duties. Heads of departments and agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, furnish to the Secretary information the Secretary requests to perform such function, in the format and on the schedule specified by the Secretary.
Any reference in this memorandum to the provision of any Act shall be deemed to include references to any hereafter enacted provision of law that is the same or substantially the same as such provision.
You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
# # #

subset: commoncrawl


text:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A federal jury has convicted the former top two executives of an Austin medical device company for taking part in a scheme that defrauded shareholders and investors out of more than $400 million.
Former ArthroCare Corp. chief executive Michael Baker and former ArthroCare finance chief Michael Gluk were convicted in an Austin federal courtroom on Monday of conspiracy as well as wire and securities fraud. Baker was also convicted of making false statements.
Prosecutors say both men and others orchestrated a scheme in which they artificially inflated sales and revenue in order for the company to meet or exceed internal and external earnings forecasts.
A sentencing date for Baker and Gluk has not yet been scheduled. Each man faces prison sentences of up to 25 years.
More from MBTMag.com
Goodyear Scouting Sites For New Factory
Seattle Council Expected To Approve $15 Minimum Wage
Court Says Company Didn't Induce Patent Infringement


text:
"When I was little, I decided I would always do the things that scared me."
This is what my daughter said to me after describing her recent experience going down the Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach, a slide with an almost perpendicular 120-foot slope. Here's a picture:
And here's a YouTube video of someone much braver than me doing the Summit Plummet.
When did she decide she would always do things that scared her? Sometime long before she found herself at the top of the Summit Plummet asking the cast member on duty, "Am I going to die on this thing?"
The conversation made me smile (BROADLY) because I want her to be brave.
I want her to "NEVER GIVE UP" and hear "YOU GOT THIS" in her head, all the time, no matter which challenges she faces.
Thanks to Momentum Jewelry, I have an opportunity to spread some "NEVER GIVE UP" and "YOU GOT THIS" #sharetheSPARK sentiment among the people I admire, those who demonstrate these attributes or the ones who I feel need just a bit of encouragement!
I could easily name 30 people off the top of my head who have a #sharetheSPARK vibe going on. The challenge is I only have two #sharetheSPARK Motivate™ wraps to give away. One of them is going to a woman who is a cancer survivor, who is putting together a "Triathlon" that will benefit Moffitt Cancer Center (for details, click here — spaces are still available for the run/row/ride event!). The other one is going to have to find a home over the next few weeks.
Although I don't have unlimited wraps to give away, I do have PicMonkey, social media, and the ability to share unlimited encouragement!
Therefore, look for me to be sharing these images and tagging awesome people over the next few weeks!
Yes, I smiled when my daughter told me how determined she was to face her fears! I smile when so many people I know, in real life and online:
- Set (and achieve) ambitious goals
- Encourage people around them who are discouraged
- Stand up for what is right, even when it is unpopular to do so
- Persist in the face of adversity
- Support others rather than tear down
This list, of course, could go on and on. What would you add? Who has embodied these qualities to you?
Tenley went to the summit, took the plummet, and proved to herself that she is stronger than her fears.
What will you refuse to give up on today? How can you #sharetheSPARK of encouragement?
By the way, Momentum Jewelry makes beautiful athletic and inspired jewelry in addition to the wraps. I love my Foot Notes™ (shoe tags) from Momentum which honor my I Run For relationship with Gareth. View all of their products here. If you find something you want to purchase, use the code FFSpark15 to save 15% off your purchase between now and 5/31/16!
NOTE: This post is a response to a Mama Kat Writing prompt: Write about something your child said that made you smile.
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.


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Advocacy group
Advocacy groups (also known as pressure groups, lobby groups, campaign groups, interest groups, or special interest groups) use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and/or policy. They have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems. Groups vary considerably in size, influence, and motive; some have wide ranging long term social purposes, while others are focused on and are a response to an immediate issue or concern.
Motives for action may be based on a shared political, religious, moral, health or commercial position. Groups use varied methods to try to achieve their aims including lobbying, media campaigns, publicity stunts, polls, research, and policy briefings. Some groups are supported or backed by powerful business or political interests and exert considerable influence on the political process, while others have few or no such resources.
Some have developed into important social, political institutions or social movements. Some powerful advocacy groups have been accused of manipulating the democratic system for narrow commercial gain[1] and in some instances have been found guilty of corruption, fraud, bribery, and other serious crimes;[2] lobbying has become increasingly regulated as a result. Some groups, generally ones with less financial resources, may use direct action and civil disobedience and in some cases are accused of being a threat to the social order or 'domestic extremists'.[3] Research is beginning to explore how advocacy groups use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action.[4]
An advocacy group is a group or an organization which tries to influence the government but does not hold power in the government.
The early growth of advocacy groups was connected to broad economic and political changes in England in the mid-18th century, including political representation, market capitalization, and proletarianization. The first mass social movement catalyzed around the controversial political figure, John Wilkes.[5] As editor of the paper The North Briton, Wilkes vigorously attacked the new administration of Lord Bute and the peace terms that the new government accepted at the 1763 Treaty of Paris at the end of the Seven Years' War. Charged with seditious libel, Wilkes was arrested after the issue of a general warrant, a move that Wilkes denounced as unlawful - the Lord Chief Justice eventually ruled in Wilkes favour. As a result of this episode, Wilkes became a figurehead to the growing movement for popular sovereignty among the middle classes - people began chanting, "Wilkes and Liberty" in the streets.
After a later period of exile, brought about by further charges of libel and obscenity, Wilkes stood for the Parliamentary seat at Middlesex, where most of his support was located.[6] When Wilkes was imprisoned in the King's Bench Prison on 10 May 1768, a mass movement of support emerged, with large demonstrations in the streets under the slogan "No liberty, no King."[7] Stripped of the right to sit in Parliament, Wilkes became an Alderman of London in 1769, and an activist group called the Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights began aggressively promoting his policies.[8] This was the first ever sustained social advocacy group;—it involved public meetings, demonstrations, the distribution of pamphlets on an unprecedented scale and the mass petition march. However, the movement was careful not to cross the line into open rebellion;—it tried to rectify the faults in governance through appeals to existing legal precedents and was conceived of as an extra-Parliamentary form of agitation to arrive at a consensual and constitutional arrangement.[9] The force and influence of this social advocacy movement on the streets of London compelled the authorities to concede to the movement's demands. Wilkes was returned to Parliament, general warrants were declared as unconstitutional and press freedom was extended to the coverage of Parliamentary debates.
Another important advocacy group that emerged in the late 18th century was the British abolitionist movement against slavery. Starting with an organised sugar boycott in 1791, it led the second great petition drive of 1806, which brought about the banning of the slave trade in 1807. In the opinion of Eugene Black (1963), "...association made possible the extension of the politically effective public. Modern extra parliamentary political organization is a product of the late eighteenth century [and] the history of the age of reform cannot be written without it.[10]
Growth and spread
From 1815, Britain after victory in the Napoleonic Wars entered a period of social upheaval characterised by the growing maturity of the use of social movements and special-interest associations. Chartism was the first mass movement of the growing working-class in the world.[11] It campaigned for political reform between 1838 and 1848 with the People's Charter of 1838 as it's manifesto - this called for universal suffrage and the implementation of the secret ballot, amongst other things. The term "social movements" was introduced in 1848 by the German Sociologist Lorenz von Stein in his book Socialist and Communist Movements since the Third French Revolution (1848) in which he introduced the term "social movement" into scholarly discussions[12] - actually depicting in this way political movements fighting for the social rights understood as welfare rights.
The labor movement and socialist movement of the late 19th century are seen as the prototypical social movements, leading to the formation of communist and social democratic parties and organisations. These tendencies were seen in poorer countries as pressure for reform continued, for example in Russia with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and of 1917, resulting in the collapse of the Czarist regime around the end of the First World War.
In the post-war period, women's rights, gay rights, peace, civil rights, anti-nuclear and environmental movements emerged, often dubbed the New Social Movements,[13] some of which may be considered "general interest groups" as opposed to special interest groups. They led, among other things, to the formation of green parties and organisations influenced by the new left. Some find in the end of the 1990s the emergence of a new global social movement, the anti-globalization movement. Some social movement scholars posit that with the rapid pace of globalization, the potential for the emergence of new type of social movement is latent—they make the analogy to national movements of the past to describe what has been termed a global citizens movement.
Advocacy groups exist in a wide variety of genres based upon their most pronounced activities.
- Anti-defamation organizations issue responses or criticisms to real or supposed slights of any sort (including speech or violence) by an individual or group against a specific segment of the population which the organization exists to represent.
- Watchdog groups exist to provide oversight and rating of actions or media by various outlets, both government and corporate. They may also index personalities, organizations, products, and activities in databases to provide coverage and rating of the value or viability of such entities to target demographics.
- Lobby groups lobby for a change to the law or the maintenance of a particular law and big businesses fund very considerable lobbying influence on legislators, for example in the USA and in the UK where lobbying first developed. Some Lobby groups have considerable financial resources at their disposal. Lobbying is regulated to stop the worst abuses which can develop into corruption. In the United States the Internal Revenue Service makes a clear distinction between lobbying and advocacy.[14]
- Lobby groups spend considerable amounts of money on election advertising as well. For example, the 2011 documentary film Hot Coffee contains interviews of former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver E. Diaz, Jr. and evidence the US Chamber of Commerce paid for advertising to unseat him.
- Legal defense funds provide funding for the legal defense for, or legal action against, individuals or groups related to their specific interests or target demographic. This is often accompanied by one of the above types of advocacy groups filing an amicus curiae if the cause at stake serves the interests of both the legal defense fund and the other advocacy groups.
In most liberal democracies, advocacy groups tend to use the bureaucracy as the main channel of influence – because, in liberal democracies, this is where the decision-making power lies. The aim of advocacy groups here is to attempt to influence a member of the legislature to support their cause by voting a certain way in the legislature. Access to this channel is generally restricted to groups with insider status such as large corporations and trade unions – groups with outsider status are unlikely to be able to meet with ministers or other members of the bureaucracy to discuss policy. What must be understood about groups exerting influence in the bureaucracy is; "the crucial relationship here [in the bureaucracy] is usually that between the senior bureaucrats and leading business or industrial interests".[15] This supports the view that groups with greater financial resources at their disposal will generally be better able to influence the decision-making process of government. The advantages that large businesses have is mainly due to the fact that they are key producers within their countries economy and, therefore, their interests are important to the government as their contributions are important to the economy. According to George Monbiot, the influence of big business has been strengthened by "the greater ease with which corporations can relocate production and investment in a global economy".[16] This suggests that in the ever modernising world, big business has an increasing role in influencing the bureaucracy and in turn, the decision-making process of government.
Advocacy groups can also exert influence through the assembly by lobbying. Groups with greater economic resources at their disposal can employ professional lobbyists to try and exert influence in the assembly. An example of such a group is the environmentalist group Greenpeace; Greenpeace (an organisation with income upward of $50,000,000) use lobbying to gain political support for their campaigns. They raise issues about the environment with the aim of having their issues translated into policy such as the government encouraging alternative energy and recycling.
The judicial branch of government can also be used by advocacy groups to exert influence. In states where legislation cannot be challenged by the courts, like the UK, advocacy groups are limited in the amount of influence they have. In states that have codified constitutions, like the USA, however, advocacy group influence is much more significant. For example, – in 1954 the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) lobbied against the Topeka Board of education, arguing that segregation of education based on race was unconstitutional. As a result of group pressure from the NAACP, the supreme court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in education was indeed unconstitutional and such practices were banned. This is a novel example of how advocacy groups can exert influence in the judicial branch of government.
Advocacy groups can also exert influence on political parties. The main way groups do this is through campaign finance. For instance; in the UK, the conservative parties campaigns are often funded by large corporations, as many of the conservative parties campaigns reflect the interests of businesses. For example, George W. Bush's re-election campaign in 2004 was the most expensive in American history and was financed mainly by large corporations and industrial interests that the Bush administration represented in government. Conversely, left-wing parties are often funded by organised labour – when the British Labour Party was formed, it was largely funded by trade unions. Often, political parties are actually formed as a result of group pressure, for example, the Labour Party in the UK was formed out of the new trade-union movement which lobbied for the rights of workers.
Advocacy groups also exert influence through channels that are separate from the government or the political structure such as the mass media and through public opinion campaigning. Advocacy groups will use methods such as protesting, petitioning and civil disobedience to attempt to exert influence in Liberal Democracies. Groups will generally use two distinct styles when attempting to manipulate the media – they will either put across their outsider status and use their inability to access the other channels of influence to gain sympathy or they may put across a more ideological agenda. Traditionally, a prime example of such a group were the trade-unions who were the so-called "industrial" muscle. Trade-unions would campaign in the forms of industrial action and marches for workers rights, these gained much media attention and sympathy for their cause. In the United States, the Civil Rights Movement gained much of its publicity through civil disobedience; African Americans would simply disobey the racist segregation laws to get the violent, racist reaction from the police and white Americans. This violence and racism was then broadcast all over the world, showing the world just how one sided the race 'war' in America actually was.
Advocacy group influence has also manifested itself in supranational bodies that have arisen through globalisation. Groups that already had a global structure such as Greenpeace were better able to adapt to globalisation. Greenpeace, for example, have offices in over 30 countries and has an income of $50 million annually. Groups such as these have secured the nature of their influence by gaining status as nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), many of which oversee the work of the UN and the EU from their permanent offices in America and Europe. Group pressure by supranational industries can be exerted in a number of ways: "through direct lobbying by large corporations, national trade bodies and 'peak' associations such as the European Round Table of Industrialists".[15]
Influential advocacy groups
There are many significant advocacy groups through history, some of which could be considered to operate with different dynamics and could better be described as social movements. Here are some notable groups operating in different parts of the world:
- American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the American Israel lobby, which is described by the New York Times as the "most influential Lobby impacting US relations with Israel."[17]
- British Medical Association, which formed at a meeting of 50 doctors in 1832 for the sharing of knowledge; its lobbying led to the Medical Act 1858 and the formation of the General Medical Council which has registered and regulated doctors in the UK to this date.[18]
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which has advocated for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and unilateral nuclear disarmament in the UK since 1957, and whose logo is now an international peace symbol.[19]
- Center for Auto Safety, an organization formed in 1970 which aims to give consumers a voice for auto safety and quality in the United States.[20]
- Drug Policy Alliance, whose principal goal is to end the American "War on Drugs".[21]
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States.
- Energy Lobby, an umbrella term for the representatives of large oil, gas, coal, and electric utilities corporations that attempt to influence governmental policy in the United States.
- Financial Services Roundtable, an organization representing the banking lobby.
- Greenpeace, an organization formed in 1970 as the Don't Make a Wave Committee to stop nuclear weapons testing in the United States.[22]
- The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT civil rights advocacy and lobbying organization seeking to advance the cause of LGBT rights in America.[23]
- National Rifle Association, an organization that formed in New York in 1871 to protect the rights of gun-owners.[24]
- Oxfam, an organization formed in 1942 in the UK as the 'Oxford Committee for Famine Relief'.[25]
- Pennsylvania Abolition Society, which formed in Philadelphia in 1775 with a mission to abolish slavery in the United States.[26]
- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights organization that focuses primarily on animal treatment on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry.[27]
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, founded in Manchester in 1889 to campaign against the 'barbarous trade in plumes for women's hats'.[28]
- Sierra Club, which formed in 1892 to help protect the Sierra Nevada.[29]
- Stop the War Coalition, an organization against the War on Terrorism which included a march of between 750,000 and 2,000,000 people in London in 2003.[30]
- Suffragettes, which sought to gain voting rights for women through direct action and hunger strikes from 1865-1928 in the United Kingdom.[31]
- The Affiliated Residential Park Residents Association Incorporated (ARPRA), which was established in 1986 to represent residents of residential parks in New South Wales, Australia.
- The Puntland Human Rights Association Advocates the rights of children, women and minority groups in Somalia and was founded on Dec 2006, Gardo, Puntland regions of Somalia.
- Sunday School movement, which formed in about 1751 to promote universal schooling in the UK.[32]
- Tories, which formed in 1678 to fight the British Exclusion Bill and developed into one of the first political parties, now known as the Conservative Party[33]
- US Chamber of Commerce, by far the biggest lobby group in the US by amount spent[34]
Adversarial groupings
On some controversial issues there are a number of competing advocacy groups, sometimes with very different resources available to them:
- Pro-choice movement vs Pro-life movement (abortion policy in the United States)
- SPEAK campaign vs Pro-Test (animal testing in United Kingdom)
- The Automobile Association vs Pedestrians' Association (now 'Living Streets') (road safety in the United Kingdom since 1929)
- Tobacco Institute vs Action on Smoking and Health (tobacco legislation)
- Flying Matters vs Plane Stupid (aviation policy in the United Kingdom since 2007)
Benefits and incentives
The general theory is that individuals must be enticed with some type of benefit to join an interest group.[35] Known as the free rider problem, it refers to the difficulty of obtaining members of a particular interest group when the benefits are already reaped without membership. For instance, an interest group dedicated to improving farming standards will fight for the general goal of improving farming for every farmer, even those who are not members of that particular interest group. Thus, there is no real incentive to join an interest group and pay dues if the farmer will receive that benefit anyway.[36]:111–131 Interest groups must receive dues and contributions from its members in order to accomplish its agenda. While every individual in the world would benefit from a cleaner environment, an environmental protection interest group does not, in turn, receive monetary help from every individual in the world.[37]
Selective material benefits are benefits that are usually given in monetary benefits. For instance, if an interest group gives a material benefit to their member, they could give them travel discounts, free meals at certain restaurants, or free subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, or journals.[36]:133-134 Many trade and professional interest groups tend to give these types of benefits to their members. A selective solidary benefit is another type of benefit offered to members or prospective members of an interest group. These incentives involve benefits like "socializing congeniality, the sense of group membership and identification, the status resulting from membership, fun and conviviality, the maintenance of social distinctions, and so on.[38] A solidary incentive is one in which the rewards for participation are socially derived and created out of the act of association.
An expressive incentive is another basic type of incentive or benefit offered to being a member of an interest group. People who join an interest group because of expressive benefits likely joined to express an ideological or moral value that they believe in. Some include free speech, civil rights, economic justice, or political equality. To obtain these types of benefits, members would simply pay dues, donating their time or money to get a feeling of satisfaction from expressing a political value. Also, it would not matter if the interest group achieved their goal; these members would merely be able to say they helped out in the process of trying to obtain these goals, which is the expressive incentive that they got in the first place.[39] The types of interest groups that rely on expressive benefits or incentives would be environmental groups and groups who claim to be lobbying for the public interest.[37]
Some public policy interests are not recognized or addressed by a group at all, and these interests are labeled latent interest.
Theoretical perspectives
Much work has been undertaken by academics in trying to categorise how advocacy groups operate, particularly in relation to governmental policy creation.
The field is dominated by numerous differing schools of thought:
- Pluralism: This is based upon the understanding that advocacy groups operate in competition with one another and play a key role in the political system. They do this by acting as a counterweight to undue concentrations of power.
- However, this pluralist theory (formed primarily by American academics) reflects a more open and fragmented political system similar to that in countries such as the United States. Under neo-pluralism, a concept of political communities developed that is more similar to the British form of government
- Neo-Pluralism: This is based on the concept of political communities in that advocacy groups and other such bodies are organised around a government department and its network of client groups. The members of this network co-operate together during the policy making process.
- Corporatism or elitism: Some advocacy groups are backed by private businesses which can have a considerable influence on legislature.
Social media use
A study published in early 2012[4] suggests that advocacy groups of varying political and ideological orientations operating in the United States are using social media to interact with citizens every day. The study surveyed 53 groups, who were found to be using a variety of social media technologies to achieve organizational and political goals. Facebook was the social media site of choice with all but one group noting that they use the site to connect with citizens. Twitter was also popular with all but two groups saying that they use Twitter. Other social media being used included YouTube, Linkedin, wikis, Flickr, Jumo, Diigo, Tumblr, Foursquare, Identi.ca, Picasa and Vimeo. As noted in the study, "while some groups raised doubts about social media's ability to overcome the limitations of weak ties and generational gaps, an overwhelming majority of groups see social media as essential to contemporary advocacy work, and laud its democratizing function."[4]
See also
- Campaign finance in the United States
- Client politics
- Identity politics
- Political party
- Lobbying in the United States
- Non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Pressure groups in the United Kingdom
- ↑ Helm, Toby (2009-01-18). "Fury at airport lobby links to No 10". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ↑ "COMPLAINTS FROM MR MOHAMED AL FAYED,THE GUARDIAN AND OTHERS AGAINST 25 MEMBERS AND FORMER MEMBERS". Parliament. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- ↑ Monbiot, George (2009-02-16). "Meet the new Britain: just like the old one where green protesters are spied on". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- 1 2 3 Obar, Jonathan; et al. (2012). "Advocacy 2.0: An Analysis of How Advocacy Groups in the United States Perceive and Use Social Media as Tools for Facilitating Civic Engagement and Collective Action". Journal of Information Policy.
- ↑ Charles Tilly. "BRITAIN CREATES THE SOCIAL MOVEMENT" (PDF).
- ↑ Cash 2006, pp. 204–26.
- ↑ Cash 2006, pp. 216–26.
- ↑ www.historyhome.co.uk
- ↑ Rudbeck, J. (2012). "Popular sovereignty and the historical origin of the social movement". Theory and Society. 41 (6): 581–601. doi:10.1007/s11186-012-9180-x.
- ↑ Eugene Charlton Black (1963). The Association British Extra Parliamentary Political Organization, 1769-1793. Harvard University Press. p. 279.
- ↑ "Chartism: the birth of mass working class resistance". Retrieved 2012-12-17.
- ↑ Tilly, 2004, p.5
- ↑ Westd, David B. "New Social Movements." Knowledge Center. Built on the Thematic Theme Framework., 16 July 2004.
- ↑ "Lobbying Versus Advocacy: Legal Definitions". NP Action. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
- 1 2 Heywood, Andrew (2007). Politics. London: MacMillan. p. 305.
- ↑ Monibot, George (2011). The Captive State: The Corporate Take-Over of Britain. London: Pan.
- ↑ "And the winner is ... the Israel lobby". Asia Times. 2008-06-03. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
Former president Bill Clinton defined it as "stunningly effective". Former speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich called it "the most effective general-interest group across the entire planet". The New York Times as "the most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel"
- ↑ "BMA History".
- ↑ John Minnion and Philip Bolsover (eds.) (1983). The CND Story. Alison and Busby. ISBN 0-85031-487-9.
- ↑ "About us". Center for Auto Safety.
- ↑ "About the Drug Policy Alliance". Drug Policy Alliance. Archived from the original on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
- ↑ Michael Brown & John May. The Greenpeace Story. ISBN 0-86318-691-2.
- ↑ "About Us | Human Rights Campaign". Hrc.org. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "History". National Rifle Association.
- ↑ "history". Oxfam.
- ↑ "Founding of Pennsylvania Abolition Society". pbs.
- ↑ "History". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
- ↑ "History of the RSPB". RSPB. Archived from the original on 26 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
- ↑ "Welcome". Sierra Club.
- ↑ "'Million' march against Iraq war". BBC News. 16 February 2003.
- ↑ "The campaign for suffrage - a historical background".
- ↑ "Robert Raikes and the Sunday School Movement". Archived from the original on 2007-10-08.
- ↑ Cooke, Alistair (August 2008). "A Brief History of the Conservatives" (PDF). Conservative Research Department. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ↑ opensecrets.org
- ↑ John R. Wright. Interest Groups and Congress, Lobbying, Contributions, and Influence. Longman. pp. 19–22. ISBN 0-02-430301-1. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
- 1 2 Olson, Mancur (1971) [1965]. The Logic of Collective Action : Public Goods and the Theory of Groups (Revised ed.). Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-53751-3.
- 1 2 John R. Wright. Interest Groups and Congress, Lobbying, Contributions, and Influence. Longman. pp. 19–21. ISBN 0-02-430301-1. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
- ↑ Peter B. Clark and James Q. Wilson (1961). Incentive Systems: A Theory of Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly. pp. 134–135.
- ↑ Robert H. Salisbury (1969). An Exchange Theory of Interest Groups. Midwest Journal of Political Science 13. pp. 1–32.
Further reading
- James Q. Wilson (1995). Political Organization. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04385-X.
- Sullivan, Arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 54. ISBN 0-13-063085-3.
- David Walls, The Activist's Almanac: The Concerned Citizen's Guide to the Leading Advocacy Organizations in America (Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 1993). ISBN 0-671-74634-0


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By Karen K. Hansen
Copenhagen is a bicycler's city, and a hub-and-spokes approach makes the most of limited time to explore the crafts scene in this design capital. With a few Danish coins, you can rent a bike from street stands. Or you can walk this route, taking in the street vibe as you discover other treasures and pleasures.
While Copenhagen's city center is the hub, it's a mere starting point. Following different "spokes" into nearby neighborhoods offers contrasting experiences, from hip and gritty to museum quality.
When dark winter days finally give way to springtime sunlight, determined Danes enjoy artfully crafted cuisine at sidewalk cafes and bars, surrounded by heaters and fleece throws.
The Hub: City Center
Informationscenter for dansk kunsthåndverk
Amagertorv 1,1 (upstairs)
Website: danishcrafts.dk
Pick up Danish Crafts' trilingual Guide to Shops & Galleries and a detailed city map, and you're off! Danish Crafts markets Danish crafts internationally, which can be difficult for individual crafters to afford.
Café Europa
Amagertorv 1
Food Match: At Café Europa, it's about pricey espresso and beautiful people. Also: vegetarian brunches, yogurt and berries, smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches), burgers, carpaccios, and salads.
Læderstræde 14
Website: stilleben.dk
Owner-ceramicists Ditte Reckweg and Jelena Schou Nordentoft choose and display pieces in a way that makes the space itself art. The elements are Danish and other European vessels, tableware, jewelry, furniture, boxes, tea lights, bags, lamps, textiles, and a baby item or two. Stilleben's shopkeeper/illustrator, Monika Petersen, says, "A lot of it is very light and white." Still, current bestsellers are bright, knob-shaped wall hooks. The juxtaposition is perfect.
Kafe Kys
Læderstræde 7
Website: kafekys.dk
Food Match: Kisses for cozy Kafe Kys' artfully presented, more modestly priced cuisine and drinks. Sandwiches (including vegetarian) to go and fleecy throws for undeterred outdoor diners.
Galeri Metal
Nybrogade 26
Website: galeriemetal.dk
The jury-selected members of this cooperative are top flight – and many employ materials and techniques feasible for home-based crafters. They turn all kinds of stuff – wood, string, silicone, felt, stones, metals, porcelain, plastic, rubber – into jewelry that ranges from elegant to whimsical. The latest rage is rare Greenland gold. Bits of it are doled out to jewelry makers who exhibit their inspirations. Manager Anne Mette Kildegaard Larsen clued me in expertly on artists, materials, trends, and techniques.
Café Sorgenfri
Brolæggerstræde 8
Website: cafesorgenfri.dk
Food Match: For authentic smørrebrød, Café Sorgenfri (Worry Free) is worth the few blocks walk. I loved the herring in all guises!
The Link
Nørre Farimagsgade 74
Website: pandurohobby.dk
Panduro has plentiful materials for "art in your own style:" beads, stamps, ribbon, stencils, boxes, shells, paints, mannequins, scrapbooking materials, kits. The "wow" is in the back: a treasure of papers in countless idea-sparking textures and colors.
Hansens Flødeis
Frederiksborggade 29
Website: hansens-is.dk
Food Match: Plan your project over Hansens Flødeis at Frederiksborggades Is & Konfekture. A third-generation Hansen mixes the ice cream from fresh milk and cream with no additives. Bring DK cash.
Spoke One: Nørrebro
Blågårdsgade 3
Phone: +45 35 36 05 27
(No website. Call for shop hours)
Nørrebro is a hot mix of young people, immigrants on budgets, and business owners with style and chutzpah. In this repurposed cheese-making shop, clothing designers Karen, Marina, and Trine, and jewelry maker Stine cater to women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. They take turns minding the shop, and, honestly, if a design or color doesn't make you look fabulous, they'll suggest something else!
Emmerys Bakery and Café
Nørrebrogade 8
Website: emmerys.dk
Food Match: Organic and green, Emmerys Bakery and Café purveys handmade and imported goods: breads, cakes, coffee, tea, chocolate, cheese, wine, oil, pasta, rice, and drinks. Score a window seat or craft a picnic. They offer taste tests!
5 Fünf
Elmegade 2
Website: funf.dk
Along Elmegade, tiny boutiques lure fashionistas and runway wannabes. The sleek clothes at 5 Fünf made me wish for a bigger suitcase! Elmegade leads to Sankt Hans Torv plaza, chockablock with trend-setters, students, lovers, and bikers, seeing and being seen.
Spoke Two: Bredgade
Det danske kunstindustrimuseet
Bredgade 68
Website: kunstindustrimuseet.dk
Danish crafters recommend The Danish Museum of Art & Design for its decorative and applied arts. You can touch and even taste many pieces in the all-age-friendly Design Studio.
Food Match: Swedish crafter Karin Eriksson recommends the spinach and goat cheese omelet at the museum's café, where you relax on classic Danish furniture by Hans Wegner and Poul Kjærholm.
Copenhagen Crafters
One works in the polished city center, the other in rough-around-the-edges Nørrebro. One is male, the other female. One works with the hardest materials, the other with the softest. Both are passionate about making things with their hands. And you can meet them in their Copenhagen shops.
City Center Crafter: Kim Buck
Goldsmith, jewelry maker, artist
Rådhusstræde 10, 1260 København K, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 14 57 07
Website: buck.dk
Book about Buck's life and work: Det er tanken, der tæller. (It's the Thought that Counts.) Narayana Press 2007, ISBN 978-87-17-03983-4
Kim Buck crafted a response to Christian Denmark-for-the-Danes politicians, whom he thinks preach but do not practice "faith, hope, and love." It is a gold charm with a cross, star and crescent, and star of David. Buck is a shining example of the Danish trend of handcraft to mind craft. However, while working, he is "never consciously thinking about these things. You can't use your intuition if you talk too much." He grew up in his father's metal factory, making things with his hands. Now he has his own shop and designs for Georg Jensen. International galleries exhibit his art.
Working primarily with gold, silver, aluminum, and plastic, Buck crafts "jewelry about jewelry." The story is often "it's the thought that counts," and that thought may differ for the same piece of jewelry, depending on the person. Buck explains, "Traditionally, the husband buys a ring like an investment. When he gives it to his wife, she receives a token of his love."
Buck's designs are decidedly contemporary and his techniques advanced, including computerized milling. His values are traditional: "It's very important for me that the jewelry is easy to wear. I hand finish all pieces so they are high-quality. I don't make anything that is fragile and will come apart." Hands and mind engaged, Buck works above his ground floor shop. Making an appointment would be gracious if you want to chat.
Nørrebro Crafter: Trine Pingel
Clothing designer and maker, shop co-owner
Blågårdsgate 3, 2200 København N, Denmark
Phone: +45 35 36 05 27
(No website. Call for shop hours.)
"I will change that," says Trine Pingel. Although she is talking specifically about the absence of party clothes, change is a general theme at Klædebo. In the edgy, evolving Nørrebro district, Pingel co-owns Klædebo with Stine Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Marina Lindquist, and Karen Pers. They create dresses, tops, skirts, jewelry, and accessories ideal for cosmopolitan daywear and work. And they take turns in the shop.
Inspired by runway fashions in Paris, Milan, London, and New York, Pingel designs for "real women who are not rail thin." Think of it as hip fashion for women with hips. Pingel and her colleagues create a few good designs and change the looks with different materials and colors. "They must be simple because making them ourselves takes a long time, and we will make small changes for a customer so the clothes fit perfectly."
Fashions change, and Pingel predicts, "There has been a lot of volume, but I think that will disappear next season. I've always been into 1940s style. Even if it doesn't look like it in my designs, I often go back to that classic period. The fabric is smooth around the body." That should be perfect for the party clothes she plans to introduce. Things are always changing – except Pingel's passion for creating things with her hands.
About the Author:
Karen K. Hansen grew up on traditional Minnesota farm-girl crafts: baking, sewing, needlework, ornaments, and jewelry. Now she crafts words and music in Minneapolis. She has worked in Germany, France, and Norway, and hangs out a lot in the UK.
Join Make: Community Today


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Allan Roth Chapter (Los Angeles)
The Allan Roth Chapter serves the Greater Los Angeles area.
To learn more about Allan Roth, the first full-time front office statistician in Major League Baseball when he worked for the Dodgers from 1947 to 1964, click here to read Andy McCue's cover story from the Spring 2014 Baseball Research Journal.
Announcements: To sign up for email announcements from this chapter and receive instant notification of upcoming SABR events in your area, click here to select from the list of chapters, then click "Join Group" () at the top of the chapter page. All SABR members are eligible to sign up for announcements from any chapter.
SABR chapter meetings are open to all baseball fans. For details on the next chapter meeting, visit SABR.org/events.
- Barry Mednick (President)
- Stephen Roney (Treasurer)


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St. George Tucker's Jeffersonian Constitution
One could argue that there are two basic visions for America: the Hamiltonian and the Jeffersonian. The former is nationalist, calling for centralized power and an industrial, mercantilist society characterized by banking, commercialism, and a robust military. Its early leaders had monarchical tendencies. The latter vision involves a slower, more leisurely and agrarian society, political decentralization, popular sovereignty, and local republicanism. Think farmers over factories.
Both have claimed the mantle of liberty. Both have aristocratic elements, despite today's celebration of America as democratic. On the Hamiltonian side we can include John Adams, John Marshall, Noah Webster, Henry Clay, Joseph Story, and Abraham Lincoln. In the Jeffersonian camp we can place George Mason and Patrick Henry (who, because they were born before Jefferson, could be considered his precursors), the mature (rather than the youthful) James Madison, John Taylor of Caroline, John C. Calhoun, Abel Upshur, and Robert Y. Hayne. The Jeffersonian Republicans won out in the early nineteenth century, but since the Civil War, the centralizing, bellicose paradigm has dominated American politics, foreign and monetary policy, and federal institutions.
St. George Tucker falls into the Jeffersonian category. View of the Constitution of the United States, published by Liberty Fund in 1999, features his disquisitions on various legal subjects, each thematically linked. Most come from essays appended to his edition of Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England.
Born in Bermuda, Tucker became a Virginian through and through, studying law at the College of William and Mary under George Wythe, whose post at the law school he would eventually hold. On Tucker's résumé we might find his credentials as a poet, essayist, and judge. He was an influential expositor of the limited-government jurisprudence that located sovereignty in the people themselves, as opposed to the monarch or the legislature, which, he believed, was a surrogate for the general will in that it consisted of the people's chosen representatives.
Tucker furnished Jeffersonians with the "compact theory" of the Constitution:
The constitution of the United States of America . . . is an original, written, federal, and social compact, freely, voluntarily, and solemnly entered into by the several states of North-America, and ratified by the people thereof, respectively; whereby the several states, and the people thereof, respectively, have bound themselves to each other, and to the federal government of the United States; and by which the federal government is bound to the several states, and to every citizen of the United States.
Under this model, each sovereign, independent state is contractually and consensually committed to confederacy, and the federal government possesses only limited and delegated powers—e.g., "to be the organ through which the united republics communicate with foreign nations."
Employing the term "strict construction," Tucker decried what today we'd call "activist" federal judges, insisting that "every attempt in any government to change the constitution (otherwise than in that mode which the constitution may prescribe) is in fact a subversion of the foundations of its own authority." Strictly construing the language of the Constitution meant fidelity to the binding, basic framework of government, but it didn't mean that the law was static. Among Tucker's concerns, for instance, was how the states should incorporate, discard, or adapt the British common law that Blackstone had delineated.
Tucker understood the common law as embedded, situated, and contextual rather than as a fixed body of definite rules or as the magnificent perfection of right reason, a grandiose conception derived from the quixotic portrayals of Sir Edward Coke. "[I]n our inquiries how far the common law and statutes of England were adopted in the British colonies," Tucker announced, "we must again abandon all hope of satisfaction from any general theory, and resort to their several charters, provincial establishments, legislative codes, and civil histories, for information."
In other words, if you want to know what the common law is on this side of the pond, look to the operative language of governing texts before you invoke abstract theories. Doing so led Tucker to conclude that parts of English law were "either obsolete, or have been deemed inapplicable to our local circumstances and policy." In this, he anticipated Justice Holmes's claim that the law "is forever adopting new principles from life at one end" while retaining "old ones from history at the other, which have not yet been absorbed or sloughed off."
What the several states borrowed from England was, for Tucker, a filtering mechanism that repurposed old rules for new contexts. Tucker used other verbs to describe how states, each in their own way, revised elements of the common law in their native jurisdictions: "modified," "abridged," "shaken off," "rejected," "repealed," "expunged," "altered," "changed," "suspended," "omitted," "stricken out," "substituted," "superseded," "introduced." The list could go on.
The English common law, accordingly, wasn't an exemplification of natural law or abstract rationalism; it was rather the aggregation of workable solutions to actual problems presented in concrete cases involving real people. Sometimes, in its British iterations, it was oppressive, reinforcing the power of the king and his agents and functionaries. Thus it couldn't fully obtain in the United States. "[E]very rule of the common law, and every statute of England," Tucker wrote on this score, "founded on the nature of regal government, in derogation of the natural and unalienable rights of mankind, were absolutely abrogated, repealed, and annulled, by the establishment of such a form of government in the states."
Having been clipped from its English roots, the common law in the United States had, in Tucker's view, an organic opportunity to grow anew in the varying cultural environments of the sovereign states. In this respect, Tucker prefigured Justice Brandeis's assertion in Erie Railroad Company v. Tompkins (1938) that "[t]here is no federal general common law." Tucker would have agreed with Brandeis that, "[e]xcept in matters governed by the Federal Constitution or by acts of Congress, the law to be applied in any case is the law of the state."
In fact, summarizing competing contentions about the Sedition Act, Tucker subtly supported the position that "the United States as a federal government have no common law" and that "the common law of one state . . . is not the common law of another." The common law, in Tucker's paradigm, is bottom-up and home-grown; it's not a formula that can be lifted from one jurisdiction and placed down anywhere else with similar results and effects.
By far the most complex essay here is "On the State of Slavery in Virginia," which advocated the gradual extirpation of slavery. With admirable clarity, Tucker zeroed in on the hypocrisy of his generation:
Whilst we were offering up vows at the shrine of Liberty, and sacrificing hecatombs upon her altars; whilst we swore irreconcilable hostility to her enemies, and hurled defiance in their faces; whilst we adjured the God of Hosts to witness our resolution to live free, or die, and imprecated curses on their heads who refused to unite us in establishing the empire of freedom; we were imposing upon our fellow men, who differ in complexion from us, a slavery, ten thousand times more cruel than the utmost extremity of those grievances and oppressions, of which we complained.
Despite his disdain for the institution of slavery, Tucker expressed ideas that are racist by any measurable standard today—for instance, his notion that slavery proliferated in the South because the climate there was "more congenial to the African constitution."
On the level of pure writing quality and style, Tucker had a knack for aphorism. "[T]he ignorance of the people," he said, "is the footstool of despotism." More examples: "Ignorance is invariably the parent of error." "A tyranny that governs by the sword, has few friends but men of the sword."
Reading Tucker reminds us that for most of our country's formative history the principal jurisprudential debates were not about natural law versus positivism, or originalism versus living constitutionalism, but about state versus federal authority, local versus national jurisdiction, the proper scale and scope of government, checks and balances, and so forth. To the extent these subjects have diminished in importance, Hamilton has prevailed over Jefferson. Reading Tucker today can help us see the costs of that victory.


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Individuals would receive $1,200, couples $2,400 in proposed coronavirus aid package
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing direct payments of $1,200 per person and $2,400 for couples amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to a copy of the legislation obtained by The Associated Press.
The GOP leader was poised to unveil the sweeping response Thursday as Congress raced to draft a $1 trillion measure to shore up for households and the U.S. economy.
Among key elements would be the direct payments to Americans, aligned with the Trump administration's push for quick cash aid.
Under McConnell's proposal, the minimum payments would be $600, and aid would be phased down at income thresholds of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 per couple. Additionally, there would be $500 payments for each child.
RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was poised Thursday to unveil a sweeping coronavirus response plan as Congress worked urgently to fashion a $1 trillion measure to prop up households and the U.S. economy amid the outbreak.
Keeping paychecks flowing for idled workers as jobless claims skyrocket is a top priority for both the Republican and Democratic plans emerging from Congress.
But GOP senators panned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's plan for direct checks to Americans of $3,000 for a family of four — preferring instead to use the federal dollars to keep workers who are asked to stay home on the business payrolls.
"What I want is income, not one check," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., summing up the views of some exiting a long, private meeting of GOP senators on Capitol Hill. One or two checks "makes no sense to me," he said.
"It's not a check. It's checks. It's not a payment, it's income," Graham said. "The best thing for us to do is create an income stream."
The fast-track effort in an all-but-shuttered Capitol came as the first two lawmakers tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, others are self-isolating and the usually tradition-bound Congress faced calls to ease rules and allow remote voting.
"The American people need help and they need it fast," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said as he opened the Senate.
The GOP leader is expected to roll out the Republican plan later Thursday, senators said.
Vast government spending of untold sums is causing unease among GOP senators whose careers have been built on halting the flow of federal dollars and trying to halt rising debts.
But other Republicans said they had no choice but to provide a lifeline to Americans and small businesses.
"The government is causing this economic crisis by shutting down the country and so we're going to have to pay what it costs," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Health Committee.
It's unclear if Mnuchin's idea will be scratched from the Senate GOP approach.
The Treasury secretary said Thursday the checks would be direct-deposited into people's accounts under the plan the Trump administration has proposed to Congress.
The payments would be $1,000 per adult and $500 per child so that a family of two parents and two children would receive $3,000, Mnuchin told Fox Business Network. The goal is to get that money out in three weeks, he said.
"That's a lot of money for hard-working Americans," Mnuchin said.
Republicans want to have small businesses send paychecks to workers being forced to stay home —though government loans that would not have to be repaid — to prevent employees being cast aside. They also want to shore up airlines and other industries, but those loans would have to be paid back.
RELATED: Italy overtakes China as country with most coronavirus-related deaths, registering 3,405 dead
Democrats compiling their own priorities in the House and Senate suggest other ways to keep paychecks flowing in what Schumer called "employment insurance" — which he characterized as "unemployment insurance on steroids."
At the same time, caring for the expected surge of sick Americans is a priority. Congress wants to ramp up production of medical supplies and rapidly erect temporary field hospitals under new authorities President Donald Trump invoked in the Defense Production Act.
"America needs a Marshall Plan for our health care system," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, citing the post-World War II program in which the U.S. financed rebuilding in Europe.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Trump to quickly use his new wartime authority to push manufacturers to start producing the medical supplies.
"There is not a day to lose," Pelosi said in a statement. "We must put more testing, more protective equipment and more ventilators into the hands of our frontline workers immediately."
The centerpiece of the White House effort is $500 billion to start issuing direct payments to Americans, starting early next month.
How to spend that money, though, remains a key question.
The Treasury Department proposed two $250 billion cash infusions to individuals: a first set of checks issued starting April 6, with a second wave by mid-May. Officials have previously said the money is expected to be allocated by income level, to exclude the super-wealthy.
Direct payments would go to U.S. citizens only, and would be "tiered based on income level and family size." The two payments would be identical, with the second wave starting by May 18.
Meanwhile, industries of all kinds are lining up for help to avoid cratering the economy and devastating the home lives of their employees.
Groups representing hospitals, doctors and nurses are asking Congress for $100 billion to help the health care system respond to the challenge of COVID-19, which could involve providing treatment for tens of thousands of seriously ill people.
The total price tag is sure to grow beyond $1 trillion, lawmakers said.
Taken together, the administration plan promises half of the $1 trillion to families and individuals, with the other half used to prop up businesses and keep employees on payroll.
Trump has already signed into law a $100 billion-plus bill to boost testing for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers hit by it. Earlier, Congress passed and Trump signed an initial $8.3 billion effort.
As Congress rushes to compile the sweeping economic rescue package, the biggest undertaking since the 2008 recession and financial crisis, in a matter of days, it also is considering its own way of doing business.
The Senate plans to remain in session until the emerging coronavirus bill passes, with weekend sessions possible. The House, which is on recess, won't be recalled until it's time to vote.
In the House, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah, released statements saying they had tested positive for COVID-19 — the first two known cases in Congress. Several other lawmakers have cycled in and out of self-isolation after exposure to individuals who had later tested positive for the virus.
RELATED: Germany, Japan, Taiwan confirm first coronavirus cases in patients who haven't traveled to China
On Thursday, McAdams told NBC's "Today" show the House should consider changing its rules to allow remote voting.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he shares lawmakers' concerns about the potential risks of congregating in groups and is considering ways to "adjust our voting procedures" to follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations on social distancing.
Economists say the country is probably already in recession and the massive rescue package now being drafted would probably not be enough to stop millions of job losses.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.


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EVERETT — The Daily Herald has a new owner.
Sound Publishing, a subsidiary of Black Press of Surrey, B.C., completed its purchase of the newspaper and two other publications from The Washington Post Company on Monday afternoon.
Terms of the deal, announced Feb. 6, were not disclosed. The purchase included the HeraldNet.com website, the monthly Herald Business Journal and the weekly Spanish-language regional newspaper La Raza del Noroeste.
Sound Publishing President Gloria Fletcher said she has "great respect for The Daily Herald. It is a great news product with a keen eye on the Snohomish County area."
"I have been asked several times about our plans for publisher," Fletcher said. "We are identifying candidates now and will have a publisher on site within the next few weeks. Fortunately, current Publisher David Dadisman has graciously agreed to stay through the end of April.
"I have faith in the talented team of employees at the Herald. So I'm certain the business transition on Tuesday will be seamless to the advertisers and readers," Fletcher said.
Sound's focus on local news coverage is a good fit for The Herald, said Neal Pattison, executive editor.
"The Herald news staff has always considered this a community newspaper. Sound Publishing's leadership has shared a vision of a top-notch community paper operating in Snohomish County for years to come. And that is encouraging," Pattison said.
Sound Publishing, with head offices in Bellevue and Poulsbo, owns 40 other publications in Washington. Most are community weeklies, including the Arlington Times and the Marysville Globe. The company also recently purchased Seattle Weekly and owns the Peninsula Daily News in Port Angeles. Sound says its community newspapers' combined circulation in the state is 629,000. The company also owns The Little Nickel, which has circulation of 241,000.
Black, the parent company, also owns newspapers in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Akron, Ohio, Beacon Journal. In all, Black owns more than 170 publications.
The acquisition brings an end to printing The Herald and the other publications at the newspaper's downtown Everett location. Sound Publishing has its own printing plant and distribution center near Paine Field, which serves all of the company's Western Washington publications.
Herald employees in production and distribution are losing their jobs. Some are being offered work under the new owners.
The Herald had about 200 full and part-time employees Monday, Dadisman said, and "less than one-third of the total workforce will be unemployed as a result of the sale."
The Post Co. owned The Herald for 35 years. It is selling Herald properties on Marine View Drive at California Street separately. Sound Publishing will lease space in the Herald building for up to a year and then move to another location.
The Herald sale by the Post Co. follows years of unprofitability.
The challenging economics of owning a stand-alone newspaper on the West Coast, Post executives have said, made the sale necessary to preserve The Herald. Under Sound Publishing, efficiencies gained through centralized production and other tasks are seen as crucial to the publication's survival at a time of declining print revenue.
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> More Herald contact information.


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My path to a Paleo-style way of eating wasn't perfectly straightforward. After years of health issues, in late 2010 I came upon an article describing a recently-published book called The Paleo Solution, written by a guy who obviously knows a thing or two about prehistory since his last name is Wolf. The book promised to demonstrate positive results for a number of health issues, including autoimmune diseases. Feeling like I was at a dead end with my own issues with autoimmunity, I bought the book at the very first opportunity, devoured it, and switched my diet within days.
While I'm very grateful to Robb Wolf and his Paleo Solution, it only gave me a glimpse of the journey I would need to take in order to restore my health. Much of the eating advice in the book was based on low-carb principles, which is understandable since the book is geared towards those who are looking to lose weight. But after losing an initial 30 pounds (likely due to discontinuing steroid therapy at that same time), I struggled with maintaining my weight, and had consistently low energy. It wasn't until I reintroduced white rice and potatoes, foods promoted by The Perfect Health Diet, that I really started to feel like I had figured out an ideal way of eating for me (and one that I've maintained since). Dairy was also something I had to figure out on my own, as I found that I better tolerated certain types of dairy (mainly heavy cream, butter, and fermented products), and that my tolerance improved as my health improved. Dairy just didn't warrant a blanket "avoid" stamp since individual tolerance was a better determining factor.
So over the years, I have had a hard time answering when people asked me where to start reading if they wanted to learn about the Paleo diet. The Paleo Solution is fairly inflexible, and was quickly becoming outdated as new voices entered the scene and brought new ideas with them. The Perfect Health Diet is a superior work, and provides an excellent template for sustained eating, but its lifelong approach to diet can be intimidating to those who aren't ready for such a long commitment right out of the gate.
And in steps Your Personal Paleo Code by Chris Kresser.
It's the book I've been waiting for: a definitive, approachable, and flexible approach to Paleo that's perfect for beginners seeking drastic changes as well as experienced Paleo eaters who are looking to flex the Paleo template.
After some introductory chapters, Chris breaks down his program into three sections. The first is a 30-day reset similar to what you'd expect from The Paleo Solution or the Whole30, where you eliminate all problematic foods to reset eating habits and to give your system time to recover. The second section details certain gray-area foods like white rice and dairy, and how (and when) to reintroduce new foods until you find a pattern that works for you. The final section deals with macronutrient ratios and specific tweaks for certain goals (weight loss, autoimmune, etc). Like Paul Jaminet does in The Perfect Health Diet, Chris focuses on creating and sustaining an approach to eating that's healthy, easy, and doable.
Along the way, he also discusses other aspects of regaining health (adequate sleep, physical contact, playing instead of training, and meditation, among others) and approaches some of my favorite food issues, like nutrient density, eating locally, offal, and eating on a budget. The book is written with the layman in mind, and doesn't dive too deeply into specific topics; instead, Chris offers supplementary information on private webpages to supplement each chapter – over additional 200 pages in all.
So yeah, Robb Wolf and Paul Jaminet are my first loves, but Chris Kresser is really giving them a run for their money. Honestly, I'm happy to see another excellent book written on the topic, as it lends further credence to the idea that approaching health from an ancestral approach is ideal. I'll continue to encourage people who were introduced to this whole crazy caveman thing through The Paleo Solution to check out the long-term approach found in The Perfect Health Diet, but for newcomers or those just coming off a Whole30 I'm going to start pointing them towards Your Personal Paleo Code.


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When you're asleep, your body restores itself—which is why next to eating well and exercising, getting enough sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health. But how can you best prepare yourself for a restful night? Meditation and reading a book before bedtime can help, but here are a few more surprising behaviours that signal to body and mind that you're ready to get some shuteye. 1. CREATE A LITTLE BEDTIME ROUTINE It doesn't have to be complicated, as long as you do it every night and start to associate it with sleep. Before you crack open your book, try lighting a scented candle on your nightstand. The small flame is a visual cue that it's time to relax, while the comforting fragrance will also have a calming influence on you. 2. KEEP COOL AND GET A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Hot baths are a great way to relax, but soaking right before you try to sleep is a mistake. This is because raising your body temperature actually keeps you awake. Studies show that the optimal temperature for sleeping is around 18.5 degrees, so keeping your bedroom cool is a must. Ventilation is also beneficial—the new air circulating throughout the room promotes a deeper sleep, so whenever possible, try to sleep with the window at least partially open.
3. SPRAY YOURSELF TO SLEEP Scent has a very powerful effect on our minds and bodies. Spraying a relaxing fragrance on your pillow before bed let's your brain know it's time to quiet down. 4. BE A BIT SHADY Light has an enormous impact on our psychology and our biological rhythms. Case in point: the less sun you see, the more melatonin you make. Enjoy the sunshine, but put your sunglasses on at 4 pm to stimulate production of this very important sleep hormone. 5. NO MORE MID-DAY CAPPUCCINOS All insomniacs know to refuse that after dinner coffee. But caffeine stays in the body for up to 8 hours, so you should avoid drinking it after 2 pm. If you're craving a warm drink in the afternoon, try some herbal tea. 6. PUSH YOUR BUTTONS Chinese medicine cures sleeplessness with acupressure, which is a close cousin of acupuncture without the needles. While lying down, apply slight pressure to areas like the indent between the top of your nose and eyebrows and the balls of your feet. 6. EAT A BANANA While it's best to avoid eating a lot before bedtime, one specific snack could help you fall asleep faster. Bananas contain two natural sleep aids: melatonin and tryptophan. A healthy lifestyle depends upon a good diet, exercise and getting enough sleep. These small adjustments to your day and evening don't require a lot of effort, but they do promote better sleep quality. Give them a try and you'll notice that you'll wake up feeling truly restored and with enough energy to conquer whatever the day has in store for you.


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Pakistan roadside bomb kills at least 9
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A bomb hidden in a rickshaw exploded outside a bus terminal near a busy bazar in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least nine people and wounding 40, officials said.
The explosion came hours after a U.S. drone targeted a vehicle in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border, killing three suspected militants, two intelligence officials said. The rickshaw bomb struck in the town of Jafarabad, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. It also destroyed several shops, said senior government official Syed Zafar Bukhari.
Bukhari said the motive for the attack was not clear. He said the victims were taken to a hospital, where some of the injured were listed in critical condition. "I can only confirm that the bomb killed nine people," Bukhari told The Associated Press by phone. "It would be premature to say who orchestrated the attack." Although no group claimed responsibility, suspicion fell on Bluch nationalists who have waged a decades-long insurgency against the government in Baluchistan for greater autonomy and a larger share of the province's natural resources.
The province is also home to many radical Islamist militants. In the drone strike, a pair of missiles fired from the unmanned aircraft hit a vehicle in a bazar near the Datta Khel village of North Waziristan tribal region at about midnight Thursday, the two intelligence officials said. The suspects were traveling from the border town of Shawal to Datta Khel, a stronghold of local Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. They said the nationalities and identities of the slain men were not immediately known. Pakistani government and army spokesmen could not be reached for comment. Drone strikes often cause tension between Washington and Islamabad.
They are extremely unpopular in this Islamic nation, where many people believe the drone attacks mostly kill civilians, an allegation disputed by U.S. officials. The CIA drone strikes have killed scores of suspected al-Qaida and Taliban men in Pakistan's tribal region over the past few years. The secret nature of the program makes it difficult to determine how many civilians are being killed.


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by Michael Mann and Gavin Schmidt
As highlighted in the introduction to the site, we seek to clarify the findings of scientists who study the earth's climate, and have an informed view on the science of climate change. Additionally we will speak out where we feel that the public discourse surrounding the science is being detrimentally impacted by the shrill voices and disinformation campaigns of the "partisan think-tanks or other interested parties".
In yesterday's Washington Post, senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey echoed this theme, in a letter referring to a news article in last week's Post by noted journalist Juliet Eilperin, "Humans May Double the Risk of Heat Waves", describing a climate modeling study by climate scientist Peter Stott and collaborators that appeared in last week's Nature.
While we don't necessarily share the Senator's view of the article on the whole (we felt it provided a relatively balanced discussion of the details and conclusions of the study in question), we do find some concern in the fact that the views of Myron Ebell (who actually works for the "Competitive Enterprise Institute", and not the more venerable "American Enterprise Institute" referred to by the Senator), were offered as a rebuttal to the conclusions of a team of respected scientists.
Mr Ebell's comment, "Modeling is not science", would be considered peculiar in any gathering of physical scientists, but is perhaps not surprising coming from, in the words of Senator Lautenberg, an "oil industry-funded economist". Ebell also pointed out that this year was cooler in Europe. The nature of extreme year-by-year variations (such as the summer of 2003) is such that it is very unlikely that two summers in a row would be so warm (more than 3 standard deviations above the mean). That the temperatures this year happened to be cooler should thus comes as no surprise, and is irrelevant to the issue at hand. The important issue is whether, as the mean temperature increases over the long term, the probability of reaching such an extreme increases. In the modelling study described here it does. Unfortunately, assessing whether irregular extreme events are occuring more or less often requires long data series to evaluate, and long periods to verify the changes.
We therefore echo Senator Lautenberg's concern, and hope that efforts such as this site, will increasingly help the public, journalists, and policy makers appreciate the distinction between the informed views of dedicated scientists committed to investigating the factors governing variability and change in earth's climate, and the opinions coming out of think-tanks and special interests.


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Introducing Vogue PSD
Vogue is a perfect foundation for a minimalist fullscreen photography site. It consists of 23 well-organized PSD files to cover almost all your creative needs: fullscreen intros and gallery, video pages, blog, portfolios, lightbox, music player and much more. Perfect typography, dozens of usefull features and widgets makes it easy and fun to customize. Vogue is good for both fixed and responsive sites. If you want to impress your visitors with an awesome unique and fresh-looking site – this template is exactly right for you! We've included following PSD files into this package: Photo intros — can be used as a full-screen slideshow
Video intros — can be used for playing full-screen self-hosted or YouTube video.
Portfolio — can be used to showcase your projects or photo albums. Full-screen list pages can have smart responsive pagination: the more projects are being displayed – the less pages in the pagination you have.
Gallery — a set of templates to show lots of photos with different proportions & videos
Responsive layouts — examples of how this template should work on small resolutions.
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Students can stand as candidates during university elections via a party. On this page, the student parties present themselves.
Student parties
The Democratic Students Party - The Hague (DSP) aims to represent the interests of Campus the Hague and international students across Leiden University. Over the past three years, we have focused on gaining better representation for international students in the democratic co-participation bodies, improving the facilities in Campus the Hague and fighting for better student housing. We are excited to continue our pursuit of these goals in the coming year while also advocating for greater inclusivity, sustainability and mental health facilities in Leiden University.
As the only student party with an international representative on the University Council and coming from a campus with a significantly diverse presence, we find it important to ensure an inclusive university environment where all student interests and concerns are heard.
You can contact the DSP through e-mail and learn more about our program and candidates via our social media and our website.
"Your student days are a wonderful time. Especially in our beautiful student city, with its rich student association culture and endless opportunities. As the only liberal student party in Leiden, the LSP wants students to be given more opportunity to develop themselves alongside their studies. We believe that every student is capable of following his or her heart and setting the right priorities, and that the university should stimulate students to make their own choices whenever possible. After all, there's a good reason why the university's motto has long been 'Praesidium Libertatis': Bastion of Liberty."
Visit the LSP website (in Dutch)
"De Lijst Vooruitstrevende Studenten (party for progressive students) strives for the creation of a diverse and inclusive university, in all respects. The university should be a place where all students can develop on a personal level, irrespective of their background, nationality or (dis)abilities. This means that the university must focus on supporting students in their education, their well-being and a green university. LVS is there for every student, to build an inclusive university together with its members.
If more is to be expected from students these days, students can also expect more from their university! This is the message that LVS wants to get across in the councils. Therefore we aim for seats on every faculty council and ask our members to be active and professional.
You can find our party's programme, views and candidates on lvsleidenhaag.nl or contact us to share your ideas via: email@example.com, Facebook or Instagram."
"ONS Leiden is committed to supporting proactive students who want to achieve more during their student days than just completing their studies. Their name translates as 'Leiden entrepreneurial students'. How does that work in a corona crisis? ONS ensures the availability of student workplaces and is working on better student wellbeing awareness and information in the strategic plan for upcoming years with special attention for the international student.
The university must do more for its international students. This group is often overlooked and insufficiently incorporated into the university community. ONS also strives for a more sustainable university. This is not only good for the environment, but also makes financial sense. We want clear communication concerning the topic of physical education in corona time. The university should provide creative solutions and should more spaces where students can work together in small groups.
You can find our party's views and candidates on stemons.nl. Contact us via Instagram or Facebook."
"The Party for (Bio)Medical Students (PBMS) wants to give LUMC a voice at university level. For the past two years, there has been an LUMC member on the University Council: and with success! For example, the propaedeutic requirement for minors has been removed throughout the whole university.
The main focus points for the party are the reform of co-participation in the university, the promotion of student welfare, and giving a more prominent role to internationalisation. We see that students are not involved in university and faculty councils: they are unware of their existence, don't realise what they can do for them and don't feel represented. Co-participation bodies must involve all students in decision-making in an accessible way - it shouldn't be just for the representatives themselves. The university should also promote student wellbeing with smart innovate ideas, especially now we are studying from home a great deal of the time. Has corona brought about any positive changes or should education return to normal as soon as possible? And in our building: are there enough study spaces, IT facilities and support facilities? PBMS wants to tackle these issues.
We are also placing emphasis on internationalisation: PBMS is calling for a clear internationalisation plan through which Leiden University can be seen to all to be a world university. With its defining Bio-Science Park, well-known Law school and world-renowned Centre for Linguistics, this should be a higher priority for Leiden University.
The PBMS is a party that works differently: in which the student comes first and problems are identified and dealt with quicker. PBMS: why make things difficult when we can do things together.
For more information, visit our Facebook, Instagram; or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com."


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Oceania Cruises: Amazing Amazon
Date: November 19 - December 11, 2016
Cruise Destination: Rio De Janeiro to Miami
You read about it as a child and longed to sail its mysterious waters as an adult. As you will learn, the mighty Amazon River more than lives up to the hype. Along its banks, ancient traditions and elemental nature combine in fascinating Alter do Chão, remote Boca da Valeria, tribal Parintins and the lush rainforests of Santarém. Thanks to an overnight stay in Manaus, you'll have plenty of time for a scenic cruise on the Rio Negro, followed by a trek into the unspoiled jungle with an expert guide. You will find that the Brazilian love for life permeates every port of call, from the pulsating energy of beloved Rio de Janeiro to the 16th-century colonial town of Olinda near Recife.
Special Offer
- Featuring FREE Unlimited Internet, plus choose one of the below FREE:
- 5 FREE Shore Excursions
- FREE House Beverage Package
- $500 Shipboard Credit
Day 1: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Enjoy a scenic cable car ride to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain for its renowned view. Ride the cog railway through dense forest to Corcovado. Visit the lush botanical gardens, see famed Ipanema and Copacabana beaches and take in a thrilling samba show.
Day 2-3: Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
At Sea, International Waters
Day 4: Recife, Brazil
Discover colonial Brazil in Recife and nearby Olinda and step back in time along narrow, winding streets amid meticulously restored homes, churches and lovely plazas. Admire the scenic views from the Malakoff Tower and Olinda's hilltop plaza. Visit the old Dutch fort, the Jewish Historic Archive and a local artist in his workshop and gallery.
Day 5-6: Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
At Sea, International Waters
Day 7: Cruising the Amazon River
At Sea, International Waters
Day 8: Alter Do Chao, Brazil (Anchor Port)
Home to Ilha do Amor, one of the most photographed white sand islands in the entire world, Alter do Chão is a charming riverside village. Explore Lago Verde, a grand lagoon that can viewed from rented canoes, or take a boat tour along the Rio Tapajós or the Amazon. You'll see a number of bird species and might even spot a crocodile or a sloth. Try Serra Pelada if you seek the perfect place for a short but breathtaking hike.
Day 9: Boca Da Valeria, Brazil (Anchor Port)
Go ashore and wander on your own through this tiny settlement at the mouth of the Valeria River. Listen to the screeching of parrots and watch the riots of color they display as they take to the air. Observe Amazonian life up close.
Day 10-11: Manaus, Brazil
Visit the famed Manaus Opera House. See the old mansions and the Indian Museum, featuring artifacts that chronicle the heritage of the region's tribes. Journey into the jungle and trek along a rainforest trail. Take a riverboat to the "Meeting of the Waters," where the dark, clear Rio Negro and the muddy, yellow Rio Solimões join to form the mighty Amazon.
Day 12: Parintins, Brazil (Anchor Port)
Visit this isolated island town, steeped in Indian culture, in the middle of the Amazon River. Its stadium has become the focus of the Boi Bumba Festival, an annual event similar to Carnival. Witness an exclusive performance of this Amazonian folklore story.
Day 13: Santarem, Brazil
See the bustling waterfront, the cathedral, the museum and the famed "Meeting of the Waters" at the confluence of the Tapajos and Amazon rivers. Or see the rivers converge from a boat on the way to Maica Lake, while looking for rare Amazon pink dolphins. Travel into the nearby countryside and take a walk along a fascinating Amazon jungle trail.
Day 14: Cruising the Amazon River
At Sea, International Waters
Day 15: Devil's Island, French Guiana (Anchor Port)
Go ashore to Ile Royale, the site of the infamous French prison, now a historic site slowly returning to nature. Enjoy the ocean breezes and the natural beauty of wild gardens, and watch for the wild macaws that are among the species that have repopulated the islands. Look for the ocean-fed pools where leatherback turtles reside.
Day 16: Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
At Sea, International Waters
Day 17: Bridgetown, Barbados
Discover the many beautiful aspects of this island, from its rugged Atlantic coastline to its beautiful Great Houses, cane fields, exquisite gardens and glorious beaches. See the island's spectacular underwater treasures on your own snorkeling expedition.
Day 18: Gustavia, St. Barts (Anchor Port)
Tour this beautiful island and marvel at the rugged coastline and its unspoiled, upscale atmosphere, unique in the Caribbean for its Swedish and French heritage. Enjoy the spectacular beaches and resorts, snorkel or dive in the crystalline waters, or see underwater wonders from a semi-submersible marine vessel.
Day 19: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Begin in Old San Juan, a walled enclave of hundreds of restored 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings. Notice the blue-tinged cobblestone streets; they were once ballast on Spanish ships. Elsewhere, tour the medieval Saint John the Baptist Cathedral, the Museum of Art, and Casa del Libro, a repository of priceless documents.
Day 20: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Anchor Port)
Let yourself relax and experience pure Caribbean bliss in Punta Cana, where sugar-fine sands, sapphire surf, verdant green palms and the warm kiss of the tropical sun are sure to leave you in a tranquil state of mind. Visit the turquoise waters of the Hoyo Azul, a freshwater lagoon at the base of a 200-foot cliff. Explore an unspoiled nature park, or dine at one of the world-class resorts lining the sands. Discover the art of growing and harvesting sugarcane, or go for a sail and look for dolphins frolicking alongside your boat.
Day 21-22: Cruise the Atlantic Ocean
At Sea, International Waters
Day 23: Miami, United States
People-watchers will enjoy South Beach's Ocean Drive, while architecture buffs will love the Art Deco District. If the beaches don't intrigue you, there are world-class museums and shopping venues too. In Miami, there really is something for everyone.